Volleyball secures NJAC playoff bid with win over NJCU, host three in a row

Sophomore captain Megan Jacobi goes up for an outside attack against Cabrini University on Friday. Jacobi has 228 kills on the year. Photo Editor/Nicole Mingo

A tough week could have possibly ruined the goal for the women’s volleyball season.

Rowan was focused on getting home court advantage in the playoffs in hopes to use the energy from the home fans to fuel them to victory. Now, after a few rough losses, that goal might be in the rearview mirror.

First year assistant coach Kat Wolf, who played for the Profs in 2016, seems to be adjusting that goal for the team.

“We actually found out we only need to win three conference games to make playoffs,” Wolf said. “We are pretty positive going in we just need one more win.”

The brown and gold got their third New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) win on Tuesday night, as they defeated New Jersey City University (NJCU) 3-0. Sophomore outside hitter and captain Megan Jacobi booked a team-high 10 kills in the contest. Freshman outside hitter Taylor Modica notched eight and senior captain Gina Kisley had six. Sophomore setter Katelyn Paxson had 17 assists and three aces on the night. Those 17 assists had her surpass the 500 mark on the season. Rowan improved to 11-12 and are on the cusp of having their first winning season since 2013.

Kisley is slowly closing in on the end of her volleyball career as a Prof and it has been taking a toll on her.

“As a captain, I’m just trying to get everyone to understand the significance of playoffs knowing I only have one more season left,” Kisley said. “It’s hard for the freshman to fully understand what it is like to have one season left.”

Now, the only disadvantage the Profs have now is their lack of energy.

“In away games, our biggest issues are not being connected from on the court to the bench so now we just set up a whole thing where the bench has to be in the game,” Wolf said. “We always have to be fired up and everything so we need to think about the will to win and bring it with us.”

Kisley also shared the worry of the team’s energy with Wolf.

“Our energy has been up and down lately. We’re not really sure why,” Kisley said. “We’ve been doing different drills and had a big talk the other day. Just focusing on the little things, doing our own jobs and everyone else can do their jobs to be successful.”

The jobs vary from teammate to teammate. For the underclassmen, it’s about getting the team to the playoffs and providing a reason to be a force for the years to come. For the upperclassmen, it’s sending themselves off with a bang and being proud of what they have accomplished.

Rowan welcomes Swarthmore College on Thursday at 7 p.m. as they host their first game of three at home for the next week and a half.

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